Tinn is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold. T ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is part of the

traditional region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing socia ...

s of

Upper Telemark Upper Telemark ( no, Øvre Telemark) is a Norwegian region comprising the inland of the traditional district Telemark in Vestfold og Telemark county. More than two thirds of the total area of Telemark, or above 10,000 square kilometres, belong to ...

and

Øst-Telemark Aust-Telemark is a traditional district in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It comprises three municipalities: Hjartdal, Notodden and Tinn. The largest population centres in the region are the cities Notodden and Rjukan, of which ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

Rjukan Rjukan () is a town and the administrative centre of Tinn municipality in Telemark, Norway. It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Lake Tinn, and got its name after Rjukan Falls west of the town. The Tinn municipality council gr ...

. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of ''Tin(d)'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 Janua ...

). The area of Hovin was separated from the municipality of Tinn in 1860, but it was merged back into the municipality of Tinn on 1 January 1964.

Krossobanen Krossobanen is an aerial tramway in Rjukan, Norway, and was the first of its kind in Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of th ...

is the oldest

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

in Northern Europe. It was built in 1928 as a gift from

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world ...

. There is a museum and

Hardangervidda National Park Hardangervidda National Park ( en, Hardanger Plateau National Park, no, Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at , is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Hard ...

center at the lake

Møsvatn Møsvatn (or Møsvann) is the tenth-largest lake in Norway with a surface area of 78.31 km2. It lies primarily Møsstrond, Vinje in Vestfold og Telemark. The lake lies in the watershed of the Skien river (''Skiensvassdrag'') and discharges ...

close to Tinn.

General information

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the name was ''Tinnr''. It is probably the old name of the

Lake Tinn A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, the central lake in the municipality. The meaning of the name is unknown.

Coat-of-arms

The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 18 November 1994. The arms show five blue

drop Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowi ...

s of water on a silver background. It was chosen to represent the five rivers in the municipality and the

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of ...

. It was designed by Halvor Holtskog.

History

Rjukan Falls Rjukan Falls ( no, Rjukanfossen) is a waterfall of 104 metres in the western part of the Westfjord valley in Tinn, a municipality in the county of Vestfold og Telemark, Norway, west of the industrial town Rjukan. The waterfall is a part of the Må ...

on the

Måna The Måna or Måne is a river in Tinn in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway; it flows from Møsvatn through Vestfjorddalen and Rjukan to Vestfjorden in Lake Tinn. It is part of the Skiensvassdraget drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of l ...

river allowed construction of

Vemork Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power p ...

, the largest

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

in the world in 1911. The station has become a museum where one can explore the history of the energy and see exhibits about the industrial development in Norway and at

, the municipality center of Tinn. The museum is most famous for its presentation of Rjukan's war history. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Vemork was the site of the

Norwegian heavy water sabotage The Norwegian heavy water sabotage ( nb, Tungtvannsaksjonen; nn, Tungtvassaksjonen) was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involvi ...

, when Norwegian saboteurs prevented the Germans from producing

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

from the heavy water which was produced here. The exhibit ''Atomkappløpet'' ("The nuclear race") presents the four heavy water sabotages and the allied efforts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Geography

The municipality borders the municipality of

Nore og Uvdal Nore og Uvdal is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg. The area of ''Nore'' was separated from the municipality of Ro ...

(in Buskerud county) to the north,

Rollag Rollag is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, although the most pop ...

and

Flesberg Flesberg is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland. The economy of F ...

(also in Buskerud) to the east,

Notodden Notodden () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Notodden. Notodden was separated from the munici ...

Hjartdal Hjartdal is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sauland. The mu ...

, and

Seljord Seljord is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. The parish ...

to the south, and

Vinje Vinje is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot. General in ...

to the west. Tinn stretches deeply into the

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ...

landscape. One landmark in Tinn is the tall mountain

Gaustatoppen Gaustatoppen is the highest mountain in the county Vestfold og Telemark in Norway which lies in the municipality Tinn and Hjartdal. The view from the summit is impressive, as one can see an area of approximately 60,000 km², one sixth of Norw ...

, which is climbed by 30,000 people each year. On clear days it is possible to see one sixth of Norway from its summit.

Notable people

WWII heavy water saboteurs

* Arne Kjelstrup MM (1913 in Rjukan – 1995) a Norwegian resistance member during WWII, role in the

1942–1943 *

Knut Lier-Hansen Knut Lier-Hansen (8 September 1916 – 28 March 2008) was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He was born and grew up in Rjukan. Around 1940 he was a sergeant in the Norwegian Army, and tried to repel the German invaders in Apri ...

(1916 in Rjukan – 2008) a Norwegian resistance member during WWII, Army sergeant, role in sinking of ''SF Hydro'' as a part of the

* Jens-Anton Poulsson (1918 in Tinn – 2010) a military officer, a Norwegian resistance member, role in the

1942–1943 * Claus Helberg (1919 in Rjukan – 2003) a Norwegian resistance member, mountain guide, role in the

Other public Service

Sam Eyde Samuel Eyde (29 October 1866 – 21 June 1940) was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist. He was the founder of both Norsk Hydro and Elkem. Personal life Eyde was born in Arendal in Aust-Agder, Norway. He was a son of ship-owner Samuel Eyde ( ...

(1866–1940) a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, developed

to produce hydro electrical power *

Albert Sund Albert Reginald Sund (20 August 1884 – ??) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Rjukan. He joined his first trade union in 1906, and chaired his local union for five years. Being a member of the ...

(1884–?) a trade union leader and Labour politician, Chairman of the ''Øst-Telemark faglige Samorg'' for three years. *

Knut Haugland Knut Magne Haugland, DSO, MM, (23 September 1917 – 25 December 2009) was a resistance fighter and noted explorer from Norway, who accompanied Thor Heyerdahl on his famous 1947 '' Kon-Tiki'' expedition. Early life and World War II Haugland, ...

DSO, MM, (1917 in Rjukan – 2009) a WWII resistance fighter, explorer, who accompanied

Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...

on his famous 1947

Kon-Tiki The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, for ...

expedition * Einar-Fredrik Ofstad (1916 in Rjukan – 1998) a Norwegian diplomat * Gunnar Sønsteby DSO (1918 in Rjukan – 2012) a member of the Norwegian resistance movement and Norway's most highly decorated citizen *

Petter Graver Petter Graver (30 May 1920 – 21 January 1995) was a Norwegian jurist who first served as a diplomat from 1947 to 1988, then as a lawyer until his death. He was the Norwegian ambassador to several countries, among them Israel and the Soviet Union. ...

(1920 in Tinn – 1995) a jurist, diplomat from 1947 to 1988 and a lawyer * Gunnar Odd Hagen (1921–1997) a Norwegian politician and a dentist in Tinn *

Reidun Røed Reidun Røed, née Hjartøy (22 March 1921 – 5 April 2009) was a Norwegian resistance member. She was born in Rjukan, but the family moved to Jar in her youth, and she finished her secondary education at Stabekk Upper Secondary School. She stu ...

(1921 in Rjukan – 2009) a female Norwegian resistance member * Bjørn Bruland (1926 in Rjukan – 2014) a Norwegian admiral and politician * Reidar Engell Olsen (born 1933) a Norwegian politician and sometime Mayor of Tinn * Jostein Børtnes (born 1937 in Hovin, Telemark) a literary historian and

Slavist Slavic (American English) or Slavonic (British English) studies, also known as Slavistics is the academic field of area studies concerned with Slavic areas, languages, literature, history, and culture. Originally, a Slavist or Slavicist was prim ...

Signe Howell Signe Lise Howell (born 15 July 1942) is a Norwegian social anthropologist. Personal life Howell was born in Tinn to physician Finn Oddvar Lie and Lise Thomassen. She was married to performance artist Anthony Howell from 1970 to 1977, and to D ...

(born 1942 in Tinn) a Norwegian

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In ...

and academic *

Bernt Ivar Eidsvig Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, known after 1991 as Markus Bernt Eidsvig (born 12 September 1953), is a Norwegian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been the Bishop of Oslo since 2005 and the Apostolic Administrator of the Roman Catholic Territorial Pr ...

(born 1953 in Rjukan) a prelate of the Catholic Church and

Bishop of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It w ...

Øystein Mæland Øystein Mæland (born 26 March 1960) is a Norwegian psychiatrist, civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. In 2011, Mæland was appointed director of the National Police Directorate, a position he retained until August 2012 when he resi ...

(born 1960 in Rjukan) a psychiatrist, civil servant and former politician Linnea Dale 2

The Arts

Knut Luraas Knut Luraas (1782–1843) was a Norwegian Hardingfele fiddler and artist. He was born in Tinn; the son of farmer Øystein Gunnulfson Ingulvsland and Birgit Knutsdotter Mellomgarden Luraas, and was the brother of clarinetist and rose painter T ...

(1782 in Tinn – 1843) a Norwegian

Hardingfele A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

fiddler and artist *

Thomas Luraas Thomas Luraas (1799–6 June 1886) was a Norwegian rose painter and clarinetist. He was born in Tinn in Telemark, Norway. He was the son of farmer Øystein Gunnulfson Ingulvsland and Birgit Knutsdotter Mellomgarden Luraas, and was the brot ...

(1799 in Tinn – 1886) a Norwegian rose painter and clarinetist * Else Poulsson (1909 in Rjukan – 2002) a Norwegian painter and textile artist *

Jørn Lande Jørn Marumsrud Lande (born May 31, 1968) is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter. He is known for his work with the bands Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond, The Snakes, and most notably with power metal band ...

(born 1968 in Rjukan) a hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter * Linnea Dale (born 1991 in Tinn) a Norwegian singer.

Sport

Snowshoe Thompson John Albert Thompson (born Jon Torsteinsson Rue; April 30, 1827 – May 15, 1876), nicknamed Snowshoe Thompson, an early resident of the Sierra Nevada of Nevada and California, was a Norwegian-American considered to be the father of California s ...

(born 1827 in Austbygdi, Telemark as ''Jon Torsteinsson Rue'' – 1876) a Norwegian-American, considered the father of California skiing * Jon Terje Øverland (born 1944 in Rjukan) an alpine skier, competed at the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

& 1968 Winter Olympics

Gallery

References

External links

* *
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every ye ...

*
Museum

Postcard from TinnPostmarks/cancels from Tinn
{{Authority control Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark